Tattoo Aftercare

The care and feeding instructions for your new tattoo are simple and straightforward.

For the first five days, wash your tattoo twice a day with antibacterial soap, in warm to hot water, using only your hand. Don’t soak it! A simple quick wash is sufficient. Hygiene is important and showering as normal is fine. Full submersion in baths, hot tubs, rivers or swimming pools is off limits for three weeks.

After washing, gently pat dry with a clean paper towel. Once dry, apply a small amount of Aquafor or A&D ointment. A good rule for quantity is that if you see a shine, you’ve applied too much. You can use a paper towel to press, and peel off the excess.

After the fifth day, you’ll likely start experiencing some peeling, much like a sunburn. This is perfectly normal. Don’t pick or peel the skin. Let it heal on its own. You can use a light, unscented lotion to keep the skin from feeling like it’s drying out.

  • If you have any scabbing please don’t pick at it!
  • Avoid sun burns, exposure to chemicals, and absolutely no first aid ointments such as Neosporin.
  • Treat your tattoo like an open wound, in that you don’t want to expose it to surfaces that may have harmful bacteria. Especially relevant to equipment at gyms!
  • Don’t let your pets come in contact with your tattoo until fully healed!

Do not cover your tattoo with plastic. Loose clothing is fine, but wrapping it back up is largely unnecessary. If in doubt or if you have special conditions, don’t hesitate to contact us for a best way to approach your situation.

We guarantee our work. If the design requires a touch up, it’s already covered. Please let us know within six months of your original appointment date. Damage to your tattoo from not following our instructions disqualifies the design from a free touch up.

Tattoos on hands / fingers, feet, behind ear do not get free touch ups due to the difficulties often associated with healing these areas. Touch up fees are at the discretion of the artist, and will not exceed regular shop rates for minimum or hourly work.